Bodyguard
by subdural hematoma
Summary: Speed gets a bodyguard. slash. AU. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

"No! No, you listen to me Horatio. I don't need a body guard. No fucking way—you understand?"

The red haired CSI sighed, hands on his hips. He'd only ever heard Speed yell on two other occasions in all the time that he'd known the younger man. Speed was normally a quiet man, his anger and displeasure voiced in soft but firm tones. For Speed to be yelling it meant that the young man was unbelievably and monumentally pissed. And although Horatio had faced down the sickest and most depraved people society could throw at him without flinching, Speed, angry like this, really scared him.

"Speed, listen to me." Horatio held his hands up in surrender. "I know you don't like the idea of a bodyguard, I understand that. But you've been the target of three hits this month alone." He put his hand on the black haired man's shoulders, trying to ease him back down into the chair he'd been sitting in earlier. "That doesn't even include what happened on Dispo Day. You and I both know they weren't there for the drugs we were getting rid off." Speed sat back down in the chair. "Tim, they were there for you. For you Tim. If you hadn't been wearing your vest…" Horatio's voice trailed off.

Speed sighed, dropping his head into his hands. His outright anger had gone as quickly as it had come. But Horatio didn't make the mistake of thinking that the other man had calmed down. That anger was still there, simmering just below the surface, waiting to explode outwards again. "Yeah," Speed agreed quietly. "I know. If it hadn't been for the vest I'd be dead." Neither of them brought up the fact that his gun had malfunctioned that because it was dirty. That was an entirely separate argument they'd hashed and rehashed on several occasions.

Horatio sat back down in his desk chair, glad that, at least for the moment, Speed had calmed down. They had been in his office for the last half hour fighting about a body guard. The Lieutenant was sure, thanks to the glass walls of his office, the two of them had put on quite the show for the rest of the crime lab. Horatio looked back at Speed. "Until we find out who put this hit of your name and why, you are going to have a body guard."

Speed lifted his head out of his hands to glare at his boss. "Horatio please—" he tried one last time.

"No," Horatio cut him off. "I know you hate the idea; I would too if it were me. But you are getting a body guard. I protect those I care about. And I absolutely refuse to lose you." The steel in Horatio's voice left no room for argument.

Speed nodded knowing he'd lost this argument. He had figured he would lose the fight even before he had stormed into Horatio's office, mad as all hells. "Fine. If it will make you happy, get me a body guard." Speed stood up, heading towards the door. "But if you find some six foot four blond ape with a Sig Sauer strapped to his hand to protect me, I'm quitting. You got that Caine?" Speed smirked looking back at his boss, letting him know that Speed wasn't really mad at him. He was just aggravated by the situation.

Horatio dipped his head in acknowledgement, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "I've got it—no blonde apes for you." The red head smiled inwardly, glad that he was of good terms with his trace expert again. The young man was family to him—and Horatio would do anything to protect his family. "He'll be here later today."

"I'll be in trace," Speed said walking out of Horatio's office. "That stupid fiber we found at the scene refuses to tell me what I want, even under pain of death." He paused and turned back towards Horatio. "But I'm sure I'll get it to tell me what I need. After all I am the world's foremost expert on fiber torture methods," he deadpanned. With that he walked out of the glass walled office back down towards the trace lab.

Horatio smiled. He felt sympathy for any fiber or piece of trace evidence, for that matter, that ever had the misfortune of crossing Speed's path.


	2. Chapter 2

Speed stared at the printer, waiting for the machine to give him his results. He had run every test in the book and even a few tests he had made up on the spot, on that stupid fiber. So far Speed had nothing. The results he was waiting for were from his latest test. If this didn't give him something, the trace expert wasn't sure what else to do.

The printer started up with a hum the cartridge putting ink on a blank piece of paper. Speed was so engrossed in waiting he jumped when his phone rang.

"Speed here."

"Speed, it's Calliegh." The trace expert cradled the phone against his shoulder and picked up the papers the print had finished spitting out. Well, this was interesting…."Speed are you listening to me?"

"Uh? Oh sorry Cal. Was looking at the results of a test I ran. Turns out that fiber that's been plaguing me is not exactly a fiber. You see I Frankenstiened this test together—it's a combination—"

"Yes, I'm sure it's very interesting Speed." He could hear her smile over the phone. "And I'm really sorry to interrupt you like this, but could you come outside for a second? I'm right outside the main entrance to department. I need your opinion on something."

"No problem, Cal. I'll be right out." He hung up the phone. He put all the evidence back into its bag, sealed them up in the evidence locker, put his lab coat on the hook at the door, and walked out of his lab.

Speed blinked as he walked out MDPD, his eyes assaulted by the bright Miami sunlight. He pulled out a pair of sunglasses from the back pocket of his jeans and slipped them on. Calliegh was waiting for him at the bottom of the steps. Her back was to him, her blonde head bent forward.

Jogging down the steps, he put a hand on her shoulder to let the Southern woman know he was here. "What can I do for you Cal?"

"Speed," she smiled that put the blazing sun to shame. "'Thanks for coming outside. I was ballistics earlier and this bullet struck me as odd." He looked down at the bullet stub in the woman's gloved hands. "Inside it looked like a perfectly normal copper bullet. But I remembered thinking when I collected it on scene that there was something different about it." She held the projectile up to the sun. "It's pink."

Cocking his head to one side, Speed squinted at the bullet. It was copper underneath but it had a pink sheen to it. It was as if someone had painted the bullet in translucent pink nail polish. "Well that's weird." He took the bullet out of her hand and held it up to the sun.

"I know. But it only looks pink outdoors. And I checked my bullet database—as far as I know there aren't any color changing bullets on the market."

She grinned as Speed hummed in thought. "You know what this could be?" he asked her. "When you were little you ever get one of those UV rings from a fair?" After seeing the look on the woman's face, Speed chuckled. "I'll take that as a no. You see they sell these rings that are covered in this special paint. The paint is like the stuff they put in mood rings. Expect instead of reacting to body heat, the paint reacts to the UV rays in sunlight. I'm willing to bet this bullet is covered in the stuff." He placed the bullet back in Calliegh's palm. "If you bring it down to trace later I can run a few tests to make sure."

"You're too good to me Speed," Calliegh said putting the bullet back into its evidence envelope. "Assuming the stuff on my bullet really is that UV paint, the question is how it got there in the first. And why paint a bullet with UV paint?"

"My guess is whoever this bullet belongs to wanted to be able to ID the bullet quickly, even if was fired or mixed up with other bullets. That or the perp just thought pink bullets are pretty."

Calliegh laughed at this. "You never know Speed. People have done stranger things for even stranger reasons."

Speed snorted. "You got that right. This is Miami after all. That all you needed me for?" The blonde nodded in response. "Cool. I gotta get back to me test results. That not-fiber I've been torturing all morning is finally starting to crack." Speed put his thumb and forefinger together. "I swear it's this close to cracking," he deadpanned.

"Well go on then," Calliegh giggled, shooing him back towards the lab. The two of them turned to walk back into the building.

The sudden peal of tires stopped them both in the tracks. Turning to the parking lot a bright red sports car—BMW from the logo—swerved to the curb and came to an ear-splitting stop.

"What in the name—"Speed started to say. But he stopped when a man jumped out of the car and ran towards him, gun in hand. Shit not again, ran though Speed's mind as he took his side arm out of its holster. "Stop," he shouted. "Miami Dade Poli—"

This time Speed was cut off by a loud howl. In the next instant, the man charging at Speed was hit by a brown and furry missile. Speed has pulled down to the pavement by Calliegh. Police officers, with Horatio, gun drawn, at the forefront, came running out of the building at the commotion.

"Speed, Calliegh, are you two alright?" Horatio asked as he came up to his sitting CSI's.

"A little bruised, but we're fine Handsome." Calliegh got up, pulling her hair into a pony tail. Speed nodded in agreement, though not making any move to get up. His eyes were locked on the center of the circle of people "But what on Earth was that?"

Lying in the middle of the ring of cops and CSI's was the man who had attacked Speed, with a wolf attached to his neck. The wolf was still growling—it was low and ominous like thunder. If the man even breathed too hard, the canine's teeth would sink into his throat.

"Horatio?" The red head looked down at Speed. "Is that really a wolf? And did it really just save me life?"

"Yes to both questions, Speed." Horatio turned to the wolf. The animal stood three and a half feet at the shoulder. His, and it had to be a male from the size of it, fur was a dark rich brown, the sun picking up the lighter brown and mahogany highlights. His green eyes were constantly scanning the circle of people—belatedly Speed realized the wolf was intelligent. Horatio bent down and cuffed the man the wolf was holding. "You can let him go now Mr. Wolfe," he said to the creature. Pulling the man to his feet, the Lieutenant passed him off to one of the officers. "Take him away gentlemen."

Speed for his part was still sitting there, dumbfounded on the pavement. He was convinced he was going crazy. He must have hit his head when Calliegh pulled him down, otherwise he wouldn't be hallucinating that Horatio was talking to a wolf.

Then the wolf turned to Speed and started trotting towards him. A few feet short the man the wolf stopped. Almost in slow motion the animal's spine began to straighten, his front legs began to lengthen, and his snout started to shrink. His paws separated into five fingers, his pointed ears shrunk back to the side of his head. And where not two seconds ago there had been a wolf was now a man with the hair the same color as the animal's fur and the same intelligent green eyes. He dusted the shoulders of his white coat off. Underneath the coat was a tight muted purple T shirt on top of a pair of faded jeans. Speed could see the gun clipped to his belt—a Sig Sauer ironically enough.

And Speed was sure of just one thing: this had to be a dream, a really bizarre dream.

The wolf-man crossed the remaining distance to Speed and offered him a hand. Unsure of what else to do, Speed took it and the wolf-man pulled him to his feet. "Look, Speed," the man said. "In the future, if you have to go outside, at least wait for me to go with you. My timing isn't always going to be so perfect. Are you alright? Anything hurting?" Speed shook his head, still completely bewildered. The wolf-man (really, what was he?) patted Speed down checking for any injuries.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Speed thought he should say something. He opened his mouth to speak. Embarrassingly all that came out was a strangled, "Who?"

The man smiled and clapped Speed on the shoulder. "I'm Ryan Wolfe. Your body guard." Speed could only gape. Ryan chuckled at his protectee's confusion and led him towards the main entrance of the building. His hand was still clasped protectively on Speed's shoulder. "Let's get you inside and get something to drink. I'm sure you have a bunch of questions you'll want answers to."

Well, Speed thought as they entered the police department, at least he's not a blonde ape.


	3. Chapter 3

Speed was still waiting for normalcy to reestablish itself in his world

Speed was still waiting for normalcy to reestablish itself in his world. So far, though, he'd had no luck. His confusion over the trace fibers from the morning was overshadowed by his confusion over Ryan Wolfe, his bodyguard, werewolf and who knows what else.

Sitting in one of the chairs in the break room, Speed drank the water Ryan had handed him. Ryan moved to stand Speed, once again his hand resting protectively on Speed's shoulder, when Horatio, Calliegh, and Eric came into the room.

"Speed," Horatio said, "are you all right?" Speed nodded. Horatio turned to face the rest of the CSI's that had assembled in the room. "Everyone, this is Ryan Wolfe, Speed's bodyguard. He will be going where Speed goes, including everywhere in the lab and crime scenes. Questions?" The people assembled shook their heads. "Good. For now, if there are any questions, Ryan is part of a new experimental K9 unit we are trying out here at MDPD. Speed, I will leave you with the introductions." With that the red head walked out of the room to attend to business.

"Well, uh, Ryan that's Calliegh and that's Eric," Speed said pointing to his coworkers.

"You've got pretty good timing Mr. Wolfe," Calliegh said extending her and smiling. "A couple seconds later…" she trailed off.

Ryan shook the blonde woman's hand and returned her smile. "Just doing my job is all." He extended his hand towards Eric. "You missed all the fun this morning," Ryan said. Eric looked at Ryan's hand and huffed in disgust. He mumbled something before he stalked out the door.

Calliegh sighed. "Sorry about that Ryan. Eric gets that way; I"ll go talk to him." She paused in the doorway to look back at Speed. "Are you sure you're alright Speed?" Concern was painted all over her face, from her eyes to the small lines at the edges of her lips.

Speed nodded reassuringly. "I'm fine Cal. I'll be back in trace in another half hour or so. Why don't you come and mother hen me for a little then? You know it always makes you feel a better when you do," he offered smiling.

"Sounds good," she laughed. "I'll talk to Eric and then I'll be in ballistics playing with the pink bullet. If you need anything you call me you hear?" She walked out of the room leaving only Speed and Ryan.

Both men were quiet, one contemplated why his friend was so upset and the other contemplated all the possible exits from the room should they be attacked. The silence stretched on. Speed slowly became aware of Ryan's hands on his shoulders. At some point during the introductions Ryan had started to unconsciously rub the tension out of Speed's shoulders and neck.

"That's why he got so mad you know." Speed bowed his head so that Ryan could knead all the kinks out. Ryan's hands paused. "Don't stop, man. It feels fantastic. Here's the thing," Ryan continued, waiting for Speed to continue. "Eric, for whatever reason, has this thing for me. It's kind of like a high school crush. I don't have a problem with it, the crush or the fact that he's a guy. But when he told me and tried to make a move, I told him I wasn't interested. Things were rocky for a while."

Rocky was hardly the word that, in private, he would have used to describe what had happened between him and Eric. Clusterfuck was more accurate. The two didn't talk for weeks—Eric, rejected and hurt, and speed confused and unsure of how to handle the situation. It had taken Calliegh putting her foot down and telling them to "stop their foolishness" to get them talking again.

"So I take it he still gets jealous?" Ryan asked.

"To some degree I guess. I don't really know. We don't talk about it.

"Well you can tell him he's got nothing to worry about. I don't get involved with my current protectee."

"About that whole protectee thing…" Speed started not knowing what to say.

"We can talk and I will explain everything tonight when you are done with work. From what understand you've been having trouble with some fibers."

Speed rolled his eyes at that. "You don't even know the half of it. So how does this work?" he asked standing, and gesturing between himself and the brunette.

"It's simple," Ryan said. "I follow you and make sure you stay in one piece and alive."

"I meant the whole shape changing thing."

"I'll explain all that tonight. Though you should pick—I can't keep switching between forms all the time. It takes way too much energy. So human or wolf?" Ryan asked.

"Ummm…" Speed had no idea what to say. "Whatever is most comfortable for you I guess."

Something flickered through Ryan's green eyes—a mixture of surprise and sadness. But he hid the emotion so quickly Speed wouldn't have seen it even if you had been looking. "In that case just give me a few seconds," he said to Speed. He inhaled deeply and felt his spine begin to stretch and his face elongate. His fingers fused together to form paws and he sank to all fours. Moments later wolf Ryan shook his brunette fur. He trotted over to Speed and gently bumped his head into the man's thigh.

"Yeah," Speed said mostly to himself. "We are going to have a lot to talk about tonight."


	4. Chapter 4

By the end of the day Speed barely noticed that there was a rather large wolf following him around

By the end of the day Speed barely noticed that there was a rather large wolf following him around. Though, in his defense, Speed noticed nothing else when he was in fiber-torture mode as his coworkers called it. During a fire alarm he hadn't noticed the sirens blaring. It was only after the firefighters had cleared the building did everyone realize that Speed had been inside the entire time running trace tests. From then on someone, usually Calliegh, would drag Speed outside when they tested the alarms monthly.

The two men had spent the rest of the day in the trace lab—Speed hunched over the tests he was running and Ryan lying underneath the table, alert and ready. As promised Calliegh had stopped by to visit Speed after an hour. The two had talked about her pink bullet problem. Speed ran a few tests and concluded that the bullet was in fact covered in UV paint like he had thought. After a quick computer search he had given Calliegh a list of all the stores that sold that specific paint in Miami. It was a short list. She had thanked him and left to check out the possible leads.

Calliegh was the first of many visitors to Speed's lab. Horatio dropped by twice, Alex spent a good forty minutes there to make sure her baby was ok, Frank came by, and all the lab techs popped in, including Valera, Cooper, and Dan. Heck, even Stetler stopped by to say a polite hello.

Eric avoided the trace lab all day. Speed tried not to be too bothered by it. He might not like Eric in the same way Eric liked him, but he still counted the man as one of his closest friends.

When eight o'clock rolled around Speed took off his lab coat and headed towards the locker. Ryan followed. In the locker room he hung up his coat and put on his jacket. Grabbing his helmet he sat down on the bench and looked at Ryan.

"Look, I ride my bike back to the house. Do you have your own car or something? Or are you riding with me? Because if you are, you're going to have to change back into a human." He waited expectantly.

Ryan cocked his head as if he were thinking. He chuffed quietly and then started to transform. A few seconds later, a fully human Ryan sat down next to Speed on the bench. "We are taking my car. Your bike is too dangerous."

"No, I'm riding my bike home," Speed said shaking his head. "I will follow all your other rules, but I am riding my bike home. You can either come with me or you can follow me in your car."

"A bike is too dangerous. They already tried to kill you this morning. You think they aren't going to try again when they see you on a motorcycle?"

"Ryan, I've been riding my bike to work and back everyday without a problem. Plus, I doubt they will try and kill me again today."

Ryan just looked at Speed in disbelief. "Don't you get it? Whoever they are, they are trying to kill you. There are no rules like you can only make on murder attempt per day." Ryan put his hand on Speed's leg. "I understand you want to ride your bike home. But I'm telling you it's too dangerous. I am your bodyguard and it's my job to you safe," he paused for a moment. Looking at Speed's face, determination written in every line, Ryan suspected that Speed would fight well into the night if he had to. One of them was going to have to compromise if they ever wanted to leave MDPD. Ryan sighed, "Fine. We ride back in your bike just this once. Just this once. And I'm driving."

"No one but me drives the Ducati," Speed protested.

"It's that or I am going to knock you out, pick you up, and drop you in the back seat of my car." Ryan crossed his arms over his chest. "Take your pick."

Speed stared back at his bodyguard. After a few moments he came to the conclusion that Ryan was serious. "We can take your car. But can we skip knocking me out since I am coming peacefully?"

Ryan smirked. "Yeah, I think I manage that. You're sure you don't want to take your bike one last time?" He was surprised that the other man had given in so quickly and abruptly.

Speed shrugged. "Like I said no one drives the Ducati but me. She'll stay here in the garage until this assassination business is sorted out." He stood up and waited for Ryan to do the same.

As they were walking out the door Ryan asked, "Is there anywhere that you need to stop by on the way to your house?"

"Yeah, we need to stop at the grocery—umpf" Speed exclaimed as he ran into someone. Ryan was instantly at Speed's side helping him get up and checking that his protectee wasn't injured. Speed pushed Ryan's hands away from him. "I'm fine Ryan. It was just a little fall."

Speed turned to the person he had run into. It had to be Eric.

"Give me a hand Speed?" the Cuban asked. Speed did just that. Once he was up on his feet, Eric asked, "You heading home for the night?" Speed nodded. "You need a ride home or anything?"

"No that's fine Eric," Ryan cut in. "I've got it covered."

Eric scowled. "I'm his friend you know. He can ride home with me if he wants. It's not like I'm going to try and kill Speed." Eric put his hand on Speed's wrist and tugged. "You coming man? We can stop for pizza and beer if you want."

"No," Ryan insisted. "Speed is my protectee and he his coming with me."

This was just what I needed, Speed thought. A jealous friend and an overprotective bodyguard. At least Ryan doesn't have a thing for me too. That would be ridiculous. Deciding to break up the potential fight, Speed took his wrist out of Eric's hand and placed it on Ryan's shoulder. "Eric, I'm going home with Ryan tonight. The two of us have to sort out the whole bodyguard-protectee relationship. We'll get beer and pizza some other time this week. Ok?" Plus he didn't want to spend time with Eric right then. The Cuban had been avoiding him all day, and a small part of Speed was angry about that. It had hurt that his best friend hadn't come by to check up on him. Everyone else had.

Eric agreed, though it still looked like there was a thundercloud hovering over his face.

Ryan on the other hand looked quite smug. Keeping a hand on Speed's back, he walked the two of them out of the room. Once they were out of hearing distance of the locker room Ryan stopped the two of them. "Speed, I have to ask this: should I be worried about Eric?"

Confusion bloomed across Speed's face. "Eric? No way. He gets a little jealous and hotheaded but he's one of the good guys. Why would you even ask?"

"Because it's part of my job. Jealously can make people do things that they normally wouldn't."

"Well Eric is alright. He's not going to do anything." Ryan could see the beginnings of anger appearing on Speed's face. His eyes were just a little darker, smoldering like a banked fire that could explode into heat and light at any moment. "And you're job isn't to protect me from everything. Just the wackos trying to kill me. Got it?" Speeds voice rose in anger.

"I didn't mean to make you angry," Ryan said quietly. "But, even if it makes you hate me, so much so that you want me to die, I will not let anything happen to you. I will not lose you."

Those words struck something inside Speed, at his very core. No one, even if it was their job, had ever expressed such a deep concern about his well being. Sure Horatio cared, but he felt the same way about everyone who worked for him. He knew that the rest of his coworkers cared about him, from Alex to Calliegh to Eric. Stetler even cared in his own warped, twisted way. But no one ever actually said that they cared. The people of this lab expressed themselves through actions, never words. So to hear Ryan say that out loud, even if it was his job to do so, shook Speed. And his anger that had been on the brink of exploding receded back till it was nothing more than a glimmer.

"Um," Speed faltered for words. "Let's just go ok?" Ryan picked up on the other man's discomfort, unsure whether it was his words or something else that had caused the sudden shift in emotions.

The two walked to the garage in silence. Ryan's car was, for lack of a better description, nondescript. It was black and small, but those were the only words to describe it. If someone was following the car they would lose the car if the interstate was too crowded. Speed figured that was the point as he stood outside the passenger side door. He made no move to open the door or get in.

"Are you alright?" asked Ryan.

Speed stood quietly, staring at the door. Finally he shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. "Is the offer to take the Ducati still on the table?" he asked.

Ryan's brows furled in confusion. "We can take your bike, but I'm still driving." Something was going on inside his protectee's head, but for the life of him, Ryan couldn't figure out what. "You want to take your bike?"

Speed tossed his keys to Ryan as an answer. The men walked over to the yellow bike, Speed's pride and joy, and moreover his freedom. Speed handed Ryan an extra helmet he always kept on the bike. Then without a word, Speed climbed onto the back of the bike and motioned for the brunette to get on as well.

Putting on the helmet, Ryan felt as if he had passed some test. What was being tested or the reward for passing still remained a mystery. Speed was turning out to be a very complicated protectee. He had believed the other man when he said that no one but him drove his Ducati. But here was Ryan sitting in the driver's seat putting the keys into the ignition. And damn if Speed's arms around his waist didn't feel good.

Mentally Ryan slapped himself. No! You're not supposed to get attached to your charge, he reminded himself. Remember what happened the last time you let that happen. But those terrible memories didn't change the fact that Ryan liked the feeling of Speed up against his back.

And though Ryan couldn't have known, similar thoughts were running Speed's mind. So if Speed hung on a little tighter and sat a little closer than was absolutely necessary, neither man said a thing. The Ducati came to life with a roar. Ryan drove it expertly out of the garage into the cool Miami evening.

Their talk tonight was going to be interesting and long, very long.

A redhead and blonde watched from the shadows as the two men pulled out. "How on earth, Handsome, did you manage to get him as a bodyguard for Speed? Last I heard, getting one of his kind as a bodyguard was about as hard as getting a buck shot to fit into a handgun."

Horatio smiled at Calliegh's bullet reference. "I pulled some strings," he said by way of explanation. "He let Ryan drive the Ducati. I didn't think I would see the day." He put his arm around Calliegh and pulled the woman closer to him.

The blonde snuggled closer into her boyfriend's warmth. "You think that maybe Ryan and Speed…"she let her sentence trail off.

Horatio shrugged. "Maybe. For Speed's sake I hope so. I don't like seeing him so alone. All he does is work these days. I'm worried about him and not just because of the hits."

"We're all worried, Handsome," she said. Changing the subject she asked, "Are you ready to leave? I am so hungry."

Horatio's chuckle echoed off the walls of the concrete garage. "Darling, you are always hungry. You eat twice as much as me and stay half my size. How do you do it?"

"Southern women appreciate food is all," she said indignantly, her eyes twinkling. "So what are you making tonight? Because really I am hungry."

The pair walked to Horatio's hummer arguing good naturedly about what they were going to make for dinner.

In the corner, hidden by shadows and unnoticed by the garage's previous occupants, Eric fumed.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N I realize that it's been a really long time since I posted anything. My life has finally started to work again and I'm hoping to post regularly till this story is finished.

Ryan was certain Speed was going to lose at least a finger. His protectee was chopping vegetables at a totally unreasonable pace with a knife that, in Ryan's opinion, was excessively large and sharp.

"Slow down, Speed," he asked for the second time. "You're going to hurt yourself."

Speed laughed. Most people had that reaction when they saw Speed handling knives. "Relax," he told his bodyguard, "I'm a trained professional." He pointed with his knife to the back wall of his kitchen where a diploma was hanging. "I even graduated with honors."

Ryan looked over his shoulder at the wall. The diploma was from the Culinary Institute of America and was made out to one Timothy Speedle. "You trained to be a chef?"

"Yeah," Speed said, throwing the now chopped vegetables into a hot pan. "After I finished high school, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I though being a chef sounded cool so I gave it a try. Only after I finished school did I realize I didn't like the food industry at all. So while I was working as a chef I went back to school and got my degrees in chemistry." The vegetables sizzled in the pan as Speed mixed in spices and seasonings. Once they had sautéed long enough he added two handfuls of shrimp. Everything smelled so good, Ryan's stomach audibly rumbled. Speed smiled at the sound. "Sounds like you're hungry."

Ryan shrugged slightly. "I haven't eaten anything all day," he said by way of explanation. "And changing shape uses a lot of energy, so I'm generally always hungry."

"That's my favorite kind of person. You remember Calliegh?" he asked Ryan. "She was the one with blonde hair and a southern accent." Ryan nodded. "She eats my body weight in food in one sitting and is hungry again in an hour. She and Horatio spend a ludicrous amount on groceries every month. " Speed deftly stirred the food in the pan one last time before mixing in some pasta and turning off the stove. He heaped food into two plates and put one in front of Ryan who was sitting at the kitchen island.

"This looks amazing," Ryan said as Speed sat down. It tasted even better—the shrimp was cooked just right and has soaked up the garlic and butter in which they had been cooked. The vegetables were still slightly crisp and also had a faint flavor of garlic, butter, and rosemary. Speed ate his dinner, though a much slower pace, and watched as Ryan all but inhaled his dinner. It always made Speed happy when people liked his food so much they forgot about table manners. It was a heartwarming compliment. He was also glad that Ryan ate human food. Speed had not been sure what his wolf/man bodyguard would eat.

"I take it you like dinner," Speed ventured.

Ryan looked up from his plate clearly embarrassed. "Sorry. I swear I've got table manners. It's just that this is so good."

"I'm glad you like it," Speed said before taking a bite of shrimp. "If you don't mind me asking, do you eat in your other form?"

"I can but I try really hard not to eat when I'm a wolf. I end up craving raw meat for weeks. Not to mention it leaves me with a huge stomach ache when I shift back to being human. "

Speed nodded thoughtfully. "Well then you should eat up while you're a human," he said as he piled more food onto his bodyguard's plates. Ryan smiled appreciatively before he started eating again—though this time at a decidedly slower pace. They finished dinner in a comfortable silence.

"Would like some coffee?" Speed asked as he put the dirty dishes in the sink.

"Sure," Ryan said. He paused before adding, "We should probably talk about this whole assassination and bodyguard business before you go to bed." He wasn't sure how Speed felt about having a bodyguard, especially one that could shape shift. Horatio has told him to expect resistance from Speed—that the man was very private and the idea of someone following him around everywhere was well, unsavory.

But so far his protectee had acted like having Ryan around was the most natural thing. Speed had had no problem when the Ryan had followed him all day at work. And when they'd gotten back to Speed's apartment, Ryan had asked for a quick tour of the place to familiarize himself with the territory. Speed had showed him the apartment without hesitation.

But the one thing that stuck out in Ryan's mind the most, that made him think that Speed might actually like having him around, was the fact that Speed had let him drive the Ducati. The bike was clearly important to Speed—Ryan had believed him when he'd said no one but him drove the bike. But then Speed had unexpectedly changed his mind and let Ryan drive. When he added up all of Speed's behaviors and what he'd been told about the man, Ryan wasn't sure what to expect from Speed.

Lost in his thoughts, it took Ryan a moment to notice that Speed was still facing the sink and was completely motionless. When he did he called out to his protectee. "Hey, Speed….is everything ok?" Speed didn't answer. Ryan got up from his stool at the island and walked over to the other man, placing a hand on his shoulder. The muscle under Ryan's hands was tense like it had been this afternoon. "Speed?" he called again. Speed made no move to turn around. Ryan could feel the muscles in Speed's shoulder tensing even tighter.

Now slightly frightened, Ryan gently forced the other man to face him. What he saw surprised him.

Speed was crying.

Ryan had no clue what to do. Speed had been fine all of two minutes ago. And while he'd dealt with crying people before, Ryan had no idea how to deal with someone when he didn't know why they were suddenly crying. Hesitantly, Ryan started to pull the other man closer to him, and when he found no resistance, closed the distance between them. Speed's arms went around Ryan's waist and he buried his head in his bodyguard's shoulder. All it took was a few whispers of support from Ryan before Speed was sobbing violently; clinging to the other man like his life depended on it. Ryan just held Speed tighter, hoping that it would be enough for his protectee.

It must have been enough because eventually Speed's sobs subsided and he pulled away from Ryan, careful to not look the other man in the eye. He mumbled something about needing to clean the rest of the dishes and started to turn back towards the sink.

But Ryan wasn't going to let him off that easily. He forced Speed to face him again. "Want to tell me what that was all about?" Ryan asked gently. Speed still refused to look directly at Ryan and instead his gaze flickered around the kitchen. Sighing, Ryan pulled Speed back into his arms. "Whatever you tell me, Speed, is completely confidential. I won't tell anyone."

Speed wasn't sure why, but Ryan put him at ease. He suspected that it was part of being a good bodyguard, making sure your protectee felt comfortable around you. Or it might have been Ryan's hard, strong arms were wrapped around him, protecting him. It had been years since someone had held Speed—moreover with Ryan it felt good…and right. Whatever the reasons, Speed found himself opening up.

"All this…I guess it just caught up with me," Speed whispered into Ryan's shoulder. "Someone out there really is…really is trying to kill me." He clung a little tighter to Ryan before continuing, "And I don't even know why. Or what to do about it."

"If you trust me and let me do my job right, no one is going to get you Speed," Ryan said, rubbing circles on the other man's back. They stood there, holding each other next to the kitchen sink, letting the minutes slide by.

Eventually, when it seemed that Speed had truly calmed down, Ryan asked, "Do you know anything about my kind?" Ryan felt Speed shake his head no. "People call us werewolves, though we're nothing like the werewolves in the stories. Real bullets, not just silver ones, can hurt me. I can change whenever I want, not just during the full moon. And when I'm a wolf, I don't become an animal—I still have all my human intelligence," Ryan explained.

"I'd heard rumors about you guys," Speed said. "That you protect only the most valuable things out there. I heard that even the President isn't valuable enough for you guys to protect."

Ryan laughed quietly, his warm breath ghosting over Speed's ear. "First, the President has the entire Secret Service keeping him safe. He doesn't need to be protected by my kind. Second, we do more than just protect things, though that is a popular line of work. But it is true, the things that we protect are considered immensely valuable. There about two hundred of my kind around the globe. Fun fact, we are all related by blood in some way."

Speed took in all this information before asking, "If you normally protect nearly priceless things, then what are you doing here with me?"

"My uncle is the alpha male of my pack. We live all up and down the East coast. His wife was in New York City years ago when she got into a lot of trouble," Ryan said. "Horatio Caine was still working in the city at the time, and he helped her out. Most likely he saved her life. My uncle was so grateful, he told Caine that if he ever needed anything from my kind to just let him know. I'm here because your boss called in a favor."

Speed laughed weakly. "That man is the most overprotective person I've ever met," he said. "I'm just part of his staff and he pulls strings like this."

"That's not true," Ryan countered. "You must mean a great deal to him, if he called my uncle to ask for a bodyguard. He cares about you—you're part of his family."

"I know that," Speed said, "but sometimes the man goes overboard."

"It's just a case of better safe than sorry," he said. Ryan noticed that Speed felt completely relaxed in his arms. None of the tension that had been present earlier remained. As such Ryan let his hold on Speed loosen and started to let him go. Speed reacted almost violently, further tightening his grip on Ryan. Once again surprised, Ryan moved back closer to Speed.

"Are we going to have this entire conversation with your head on my shoulder?" Ryan joked, trying to be playful and put Speed at ease. However, that was the wrong thing to say because Ryan could feel the tension building in Speed once more. Speed squeezed his eyes shut in embarrassment and shame. He was a grown man god dammit—he was supposed to be strong. This whole assassination business shouldn't have affected him this badly. It was bad enough that he'd all but bawled into Ryan's shoulder. But now Ryan must think he was some kind of weakling who needed to be coddled. It was just it felt so good to held for the first time in years…

"Because it's ok if we do. I don't mind holding you like this if it makes you feel more comfortable," Ryan said backpedaling. When Speed showed no signs of relaxing Ryan whispered," I kind of like holding you anyways."

Ryan shut his eyes at his own admission. He wasn't supposed to say things like that! Under no circumstance could he become emotionally attached to his protectees. He'd made that mistake once in his life and had nearly gotten a young girl killed. The painful memories and lessons from those events hadn't left Ryan in all the years since. Keeping his distance was his number one rule—it was the only way he could ensure that he'd stay sharp, alert, and able to do his job.

But here he was holding Speed in the man's kitchen. It didn't help that Ryan had felt drawn to Speed since he'd met the man. Or that his protectee was very, very easy on the eyes. If they'd met under different circumstances, maybe something could have happened. They could have been friends or maybe more. Ryan shook his head, trying to clear those thoughts out of his head. He didn't need to be thinking like that. Not when he had someone to protect.

"You like holding me?" Speed asked, unsure of the implications.

"Yeah," Ryan replied. Dammit! This was not supposed to be happening. "It feels…nice."

Ryan felt Speed smile against his neck. "I like it too," he admitted. "I know you're not supposed to get involved with your protectees but this is ok, right?"

The slight tinge of desperation in Speed's voice was all that Ryan needed to hear before he caved. "Yeah, this is ok," he said. He wanted to tell Speed that it couldn't go past this, that even this was more than should be happening. But he remembered the feeling of Speed's smile on his neck and figured he could tell him tomorrow.

In the hallway Speed's grandfather clock chimed, signaling it was eleven o'clock. "We should probably get to bed soon," Speed said. "I've got to go in early to work tomorrow. I'm meeting a guy from a crime lab up north for a consult."

"Well then let's get you to bed," Ryan said. Speed didn't move. "Speed," Ryan said, "we're going to have to move you know."

"I know. But we didn't finish talking about everything," he said. "You said we needed to talk."

Ryan knew Speed didn't want to talk, but was using it as an excuse to stay in Ryan's arms. "We can talk about specifics tomorrow morning."

"I really don't mind."

"It can all wait until tomorrow morning, Speed," Ryan said. He let go of Speed, and looked him in eye. Speed's face was withdrawn but resigned—the fantasy had been destroyed and reality had set in. Ryan was his bodyguard and nothing more.

It hurt Ryan a little to see Speed look like that, even though it shouldn't have hurt him at all. And he found himself caving for the second time that evening. "Why don't you got get ready sleep while I lock own the house?" Ryan suggested. "When I'm done I'll…," he hesitated. He really shouldn't be suggesting this, offering this to Speed. But against all his better judgment he did. "When I'm done I'll come hold you till you fall asleep. Deal?"

"Deal," Speed responded happily. He put the last of the dishes into the sink and then left the kitchen heading upstairs.

Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched Speed walk out of the room. This was bad. He shouldn't be encouraging Speed like this. But one night of indulgence couldn't hurt. He'd set both of them straight tomorrow.


End file.
